11 diverse hospitality jobs (With average salaries)

Updated 24 August 2023

The hospitality industry offers a wide range of jobs that are well suited to various personality types. Whereas some hospitality employees are in constant contact with customers, others such as kitchen and maintenance staff provide important services without interacting with customers. In this article, we review 11 diverse hospitality jobs to provide you with an in-depth idea of the occupations available to you in the industry.

What is a hospitality job?

A hospitality job is a position that revolves around providing customers with a service that's usually linked to leisure activities, such as dining, travel or social interaction. Typical establishments within the hospitality industry include restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs, casinos and cruise ships. Hospitality jobs include all occupations needed for an establishment to function, such as managers, bookkeepers, maintenance staff, cleaners, entertainers, waiters/waitresses and front-of-house staff.

What is it like to work in the hospitality industry?

Because the industry offers such a wide range of jobs, the work environment from one job to the next can differ widely. Those who work front-of-house in establishments such as hotels, clubs and cruise ships often have schedules that include unsocial hours and long shifts. However, employees that have office jobs in the same establishments, such as bookkeepers, may work regular 40-hour workweeks.

Although it depends on the position and establishment, a hospitality job can at times involve pressure and become quite fast-paced. For instance, chefs must consistently serve delicious food within an acceptable timeframe, regardless of how full a restaurant is. Employees who work in such environments must have the ability to cope well in stressful situations to succeed in their job.

Customer-facing positions are typically best suited to people who have outgoing personalities and enjoy social interaction. Such positions also require employees to be polite and provide satisfactory service, even when the circumstances are not ideal.

Types of hospitality jobs

Regardless of your interests, level of experience or identification as an introvert or extrovert, the hospitality industry has many employment opportunities. If you're thinking of joining the hospitality industry, but you're not sure what types of jobs are out there, here are a few examples of the opportunities that are available:

1. Tour guide

National average salary: £13,900 per year

Primary duties: A tour guide is an individual who shows tourists places of interest. They offer organised sightseeing tours to either individuals or groups of tourists, which often involves providing interesting information about sites with historic or cultural significance. Depending on the size of the group, they may speak through a microphone so that all participants can hear. As part of the package, a tour guide may also offer transport to the relevant places of interest, such as a bus ride, and might organise accommodation and entertainment for their clients.

2. Hotel receptionist

National average salary: £14,880 per year

Primary duties: A hotel receptionist forms part of the front-of-house staff of a hotel and acts as the main point of contact for hotel guests. They welcome guests upon arrival, check them into their rooms and provide them with general information regarding amenities. They also assist guests by making bookings on their behalf and liaising with other staff members as necessary to ensure that guests receive the services they require. Other duties include answering phone calls, handling email correspondence and passing on complicated customer issues to senior staff or management.

3. Barista

National average salary: £17,373 per year

Primary duties: A barista prepares and serves a variety of beverages, which are traditionally coffee-based. These commonly include espressos, lattes and cappuccinos. Baristas typically work behind the coffee counter or bar of a coffee shop, restaurant or cafe. They are sometimes referred to as "coffee artists" due to the foam art they create on the surface of latte beverages.

Although it's not always a requirement, baristas are often very knowledgeable about coffee and some also create their own blends. Apart from serving delicious and attractive coffee drinks, their duties include making customers feel welcome, cleaning and maintaining the coffee machines and ensuring that their work area is well-stocked and tidy.

4. Wedding planner

National average salary: £22,975 per year

Primary duties: A wedding planner is an events specialist who organises and manages weddings. The job involves listening to what the client wants and also making suitable suggestions and recommendations from a professional perspective. Once the client has approved the wedding plan, the wedding planner takes care of the logistics. This may include deciding on and booking suitable venues, negotiating favourable prices with vendors, organising entertainment and planning the menu. Wedding planners also need to be present on the wedding day to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

5. Host/Hostess

National average salary: £21,781 per year

Primary duties: A host or hostess welcomes guests as they enter a restaurant or cafe, informs them of waiting times and guides them to their table when it becomes available. Once the guests are seated, a host or hostess provides them with menus and takes their orders. They also ensure that guests are happy throughout their meal and that servers are providing exemplary service and keeping their tables clean. A host or hostess may also answer phone calls, take bookings and manage the front-of-house area.

6. Housekeeper

National average salary: £22,377 per year

Primary duties: A housekeeper performs cleaning duties in a hotel or guesthouse. Those who work in large hotels may have specific sanitation responsibilities, such as washing, drying and ironing the hotel laundry or cleaning guests' rooms. The latter typically involves changing bed linen, replacing used towels with fresh ones, removing rubbish, vacuuming, restocking the bar fridge and cleaning the bathroom. Housekeepers also clean other areas of the hotel, such as the lobby and dining rooms, and ensure that the establishment is neat and presentable at all times.

7. Cook

National average salary: £23,078 per year

Primary duties: A cook prepares meals in the kitchen of establishments that serve food, such as hotels, cruise ships, restaurants and resorts. Their duties include washing, measuring and chopping ingredients and cooking meals according to the recipes that the executive chef or management has provided. Cooks often work in one area of a kitchen and specialise in certain types of dishes. A pastry cook, for instance, prepares pastries, cakes and desserts, whereas a pantry cook prepares cold foods like salads. A kitchen may also have a swing cook who fills in as needed at the various stations in the kitchen.

8. Sommelier

National average salary: £26,055 per year

Primary duties: A sommelier is a trained wine professional. They typically work at fine dining establishments where they advise staff and guests on which wine to pair with their meals. These experts may also provide guests with information regarding the grapes that a wine is made of and the region and vineyard where the grapes were grown. A sommelier's duties typically include developing an establishment's wine list and educating other staff members, such as managers and waiters/waitresses, on the wines they serve.

9. Restaurant manager

National average salary: £29,765 per year

Primary duties: A restaurant manager ensures that all operations in a restaurant run smoothly. They have a wide range of duties that include managing the restaurant staff, including cleaners, kitchen staff and waiters/waitresses. This may involve creating work schedules, hiring and firing staff and ensuring that employees receive adequate training. It's also their responsibility to maintain an inventory, order new stock and nurture good relationships with vendors to ensure that they offer competitive pricing and quality products. Another important duty of a restaurant manager is interacting with patrons and ensuring that they're satisfied with the food and service.

10. Hotel manager

National average salary: £30,963 per year

Primary duties: A hotel manager supervises hotel employees and oversees the daily activities of a hotel. They draw up staff schedules, take disciplinary action as needed and ensure that employees perform their jobs well. Other duties include maintaining the hotel premises and ensuring that all equipment and facilities are in good working order. Depending on the size of the establishment, a hotel manager may interact with guests and deal with customer complaints. It's also their responsibility to ensure the hotel's profitability and develop marketing strategies that draw more visitors.

11. Executive chef

National average salary: £44,728 per year

Primary duties: An executive chef manages all aspects of an establishment's kitchen. This includes deciding on menu dishes, ordering supplies from vendors, maintaining kitchen equipment and managing the inventory. They also hire and supervise all kitchen staff and see to it that they follow the necessary hygiene and safety protocols, such as keeping their workstations clean. It's the responsibility of the executive chef to guarantee that a kitchen maintains the highest standards and constantly serves excellent food. In addition, they also need to ensure that a kitchen is profitable, which influences decisions regarding stock control, vendor pricing and menu items.

Salary figures reflect data listed on the quoted websites at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate’s experience, academic background and location.